NOW AND FOREVER
				   by LilAsia
				(lilasia@juno.com)

Chapter 1 - Facing the Music

	It was quiet: no wind, no storm, no noise from any act of God. 
The silence was not unnatural, but tonight, the silence seemed to be
born out of expectation. 
	Then again, Juuban was a small neighborhood. It was a different 
story in the city where there was life around the clock. It was a 
different story just a few moments ago, when five girls in short skirts 
had fought, and defeated, a dangerous creature. The people of Juuban 
were asleep and dreaming sweet dreams, confident of their safety. 
Really, the only people out at this time of the night were the 
outcasts of society (for lack of a better term). Even those wanting 
to sit with their lovers and gaze at the moon had gone home hours 
before. It was two in the morning. 

	They walked slowly towards her house. They couldn't have walked 
faster if they wanted to, anyway. The fight had drained them. He 
supposed he could have gone home himself, but he wanted to make sure 
that she didn't collapse on her way home. She was so pale and haggard. 
So delicate, as if she could shatter to a million pieces in front of his 
very eyes. He didn't want to let her slip from him. She was too precious 
to him. 
	Slowly, they approached her darkened porch.
	"Well, we're here," she sighed, tiredly. She was disappointed that
he would have to go now, but she knew that if she didn't get some rest
she would eventually faint. 'Oh, well,' she thought, 'all things must come
to an end, I suppose. Hey, the faster I go in, the faster I can go to
sleep and see him again tomorrow...' She smiled. 'But... this is nice.'
	"Thanks for walking me home."
	"I wanted to make sure you didn't fall asleep somewhere in the 
street," he said, smiling. He knew she would have. That enemy had taken 
them longer than usual to defeat. He knew how much energy had been 
drained out of her, using the Ginzuishou after a rude awakening from a
much needed sleep. She had barely been sleeping in her efforts to
improve her school grades so he could be proud of her. This was her 
first night of rest and it was ruined. Well, that's the story of her
life. He was sorry he couldn't do it for her. The fighting. But only she
could do it. He would have carried her given the option, but she had 
refused, pointing out that he was tired also and that he might suddenly 
drop her from fatigue.
	"Oh, you!"
	He gave her a quick kiss, and she sighed into his arms and 
leaned against his chest. He held her for a moment. This was good, he 
decided. It felt good to hold her. It was a miracle, really, that they 
had found each other in the first place. He had not cared for life, one 
way or the other, until he met her. It scared him at first how he could 
feel so much for a person that he had not known for long. He had 
resorted to creating a light environment between them. He had teased 
her mercilessly. The revelation that they had been together before had 
been a shock to him. He did not know how to respond to her enthusiasm. 
But she did not expect too much from him; she had not been demanding. 
And over time, he found that it no longer scared him to be this close 
to a person. He had never been happier than when she had accepted his
proposal the year before... The year Galaxia had taken him away from
her. He smiled when he noticed her heavy breathing. He gently nudged her.
	"Hey, what would your parents say if they found you out here 
sleeping in my arms?" he said. She blinked at him.
	"I'm--" she started to apologize, smiling.
	There was a short flicker and they were bathed in light. They 
froze.
	"Yes, what _would_ we say?" her father asked, leaning against 
the doorframe of the now opened door. Her mother was standing beside 
him, a look of anger and disappointment in her eyes. She had gone to 
check on her daughter before she went to sleep. Her daughter had not 
been in bed. The window had been open. They feared that she might have 
gotten kidnapped right in their own house. They knew that an incident 
like that was not too unusual. There had been many reports on the news. 
But here she was now, on their porch, in the arms of a young man.
	"Dad.... Mom...." she whispered, terrified. She had gotten 
caught. She scanned her thoughts frantically for an excuse, but found 
none.
	"I'm sorry, Ts---"
	"So that's where you've been lately, daughter of mine?" her 
father interrupted. "Sneaking out in the middle of the god-forsaken 
night to be with this- this--"
	"NO!"
	"Tell me. What would a virtuous young woman be doing out in the 
middle of the night?" he asked, eyeing her rumpled pajamas. He was
not thinking happy thoughts just now. The scene had a suspicious air
to it. Where had she been?
	"Mom, please... please listen," she appealed. She knew that 
her father disliked anybody who showed an interest in his daughter. He 
would never listen to reason. Her mother might listen, though. She had 
been quite encouraging in introducing Mamoru to the family.
	"No," her mother said with a steely voice. She felt betrayed. She 
trusted Usagi to have a relationship that followed decorum. She didn't 
expect her daughter to go running off in the middle of the night. There 
was no reason for Usagi to run out in the middle of the night just to 
_meet_him. She had not been forbidden to see him. She looked at the 
young man on her porch, "You. What have you been doing with my 
daughter? I thought you would be trustworthy." 
	He shifted his stance. He knew that they would forbid their 
relationship. He didn't want to lose Usagi. She was his only salvation. 
The only reason for living. They had been careless in their actions. 
They had forgotten that after the fight, Sailor Moon had a family who 
did not know what she did and would worry about her.
	Ikuko shifted her gaze towards her errant child, "I never thought 
you would do this. My sweet, innocent little girl. But you aren't  
any longer, are you?"
	"What? No! You don't understand!" she shouted at her parents. 
She had just crossed the line. She'd never yelled before. It had 
always been one of the biggest unspoken rules of the house. She bit her 
lip. But they were thinking the worst of her. Did they really think
she would just go out and.. Then, again, she couldn't give them a 
simple reason for being out like this.
	"What don't we understand? What are we supposed to expect when 
our daughter runs off in the middle of the night and returns at two in 
the morning, with a guy, no less!"
	"No! That's not it!" she shouted once more. 'They're not 
listening,' she thought. 'They won't listen. What should I do?'
	"So you've learned to answer back to us? You think you're grown 
up now, now that you're in high school? You think you can take care of 
yourself now, do you? Do you know how dangerous it is out there?" her 
mother once again looked at the young man who was holding her daughter 
tightly.
	"Mom! I know how dangerous it is out there! I know how---" she 
broke off and looked at Mamoru, her eyes welling up with tears that she 
refused to let fall. "Mamo-chan, should we tell them? Should we tell 
them what's going on?"
	She didn't know how else to explain this. She knew they would 
never forgive her for running off. But she also knew that aside from 
explaining all the events that have taken place, she wouldn't be able 
to give an excuse. Telling them that she had sneaked out to be with her 
boyfriend would definitely NOT redeem her in their eyes. It would have 
been easier. But it was worse. It would be held against her for as long 
as she lived. Besides, she couldn't lie anymore. She was tired.
	Her parents froze. "Yes, tell us," Kenji said, frozen. And they 
waited to hear the worst. They braced themselves against the 
confession that she was not a little girl anymore, not in any way.
	Mamoru looked down at her, and sighed. He wanted to protect her 
from all this. But what's done is done. "You must do what you think is 
right. It is your right to tell and their right to know." 
	That was probably easier said than done, as most things go. He
felt a little relieved that this would never have to happen to him; 
he would never have to be afraid about what his parents might think 
about his activities. But as he thought this, he felt a pang of 
longing. No, he didn't have a family to tell. He shook himself. He
wasn't the one at issue here. She needed his support. He rubbed her
shoulders.
	She smiled at him weakly and looked back at her nervous parents.
"Mom, Dad, I'm..." She gulped. Moment of truth. 'Hey, why am I so
nervous?' she thought. 'They'd get a kick out of this. Their klutzy, 
irresponsible daughter is actually a superheroine...'"I'm Sailor Moon. 
Mom. Dad." 
	'Then again, what if they don't think it's all right..' She 
waited fearfully for their response. 
	There was silence. It seemed as if a world had been destroyed 
and recreated as eternity passed. The night remained still. Mamoru 
squeezed her shoulders as they waited for her parents' response.
	Her mother laughed ironically, bitterly. "And this is the 
best.... excuse.. you can come up with? That you're Sailor Moon? In 
case you've forgotten, we weren't born yesterday. Now why should we 
believe that?"
	"Because, Mom, I am Sailor Moon. You have to believe me!" she 
replied hysterically. She knew this would happen, but she had hoped 
it wouldn't. She had hoped that her response would be accepted. Reality 
never lives up to people's expectations. "Do you think I would say that 
as an.. as an EXCUSE? That would be a pretty lame excuse, wouldn't it? 
Why don't I just say that Mamo-chan rescued me from aliens?!" 'Which,' 
she thought absently,'isn't exactly lying either.'"It's pretty outrageous 
to be lying about, isn't it?!  It's not an excuse, Mom!"
	Her parents stared at her. Then they shifted their gaze towards 
Mamoru. He didn't seem fazed by the revelation. Rather, he seemed 
concerned by her condition.
	"And you believe this, too, Chiba-san?"
	Mamoru looked at them steadily. "How could I not believe the 
truth?"
	Shock was registered on their faces. They had not expected this 
answer. Actually, they didn't even expect _one_. The first thought that 
came to their mind was that they had no conception of reality. The second 
thought was that _he_ had somehow convinced their daughter to believe 
that she was Sailor Moon.
	"Oh, kami-sama," Ikuko whispered. She pulled Usagi away from 
him. "What have you done to my daughter?! Usagi! What has he done to 
you?!"
	"Mamo-chan," she whispered, fearfully. Ikuko looked at her
daughter sharply. She seemed to be suffering from the implied separation.
She was shocked. Her daughter sounded so... old? Was that the word she
was looking for? It just seemed as if their relationship was deeper
than most, and that scared her. Usagi was too young. She was too young
for something like this.
	Mamoru gazed at Ikuko steadily. "I have done nothing to your 
daughter, Tsukino-san."
	"Then why does she think she's Sailor Moon?!" Kenji demanded. 
It was ridiculous, really. He knew that Usagi had always wanted to be 
like the heroine. Perhaps she had began to live in a fantasy world 
where she could be perfect. She had admitted many times that she wished 
she could live up to her parent's expectations and be perfection 
herself. Perhaps she had begun to believe that she WAS the heroine. 
	"Because I AM! I AM Sailor Moon! Do I have to prove it to you?" 
Usagi jumped away from them. She took out her compact and opened it, 
revealing the Ginzuishou.
	"Usako, you're tired... You shouldn't...." Mamoru started.
	Her parents stared at the jewel and Ikuko exclaimed, "Where did 
you get that? Usagi, tell me! Where did you get that?! Did you steal--"
	"Oh, geez, Mom, no!" she interrupted. The Ginzuishou flashed 
briefly as the moonlight touched it. It was of pure crystal in the shape
of a rose in bloom. Its intricate detail made it seem as though it
held life. It put all the glass smiths to shame. They gazed at it amazedly, 
yet at the same time worriedly. "It was.... a gift."
	"From who?" Ikuko asked, confused. "That is too.... priceless to
just give away."
	"It was handed down to me. An heirloom of my family."
	"We have nothing like that in our family, nor your father's."
	"It was from my mother," she replied, gazing at the jewel. Kenji
looked at Ikuko.
	"Not from me. I have never given you such a jewel."
	"No.. I mean my mother. My other one."
	Ikuko stared at her fearfully. "Oh, Kenji, what has happened to 
her?" she whispered. "What is wrong with her? She won't claim us as 
her parents anymore. Is she a part of a cult? Is she--"
	"Mom! You ARE my parents... my real mother, my real father... 
but..." She bit her lip, 'How am I going to explain this? Kami-sama, 
what do I do?' She did the first thing that came to her... She held
out the jewel. They were startled, but thinking that she meant for
them to take it from her, they slowly reached out. Usagi shook her
head. She stepped back as they let their hands drop. Quietly, she 
whispered the words that would change her. It was no time for 
over-dramatization. "Moon Crystal Power."
	Her parents stared as she transformed, squinting against the
overwhelming brightness that seemed as if it should blind them. 
	"Tuxedo Kamen," she called. Her parents turned to Mamoru. They 
had almost forgotten he was there. But Mamoru wasn't there... Instead they 
saw a man in formal attire and a mask..
	"No... No... This isn't happening," her mother muttered, 
putting her hand up to her forehead. "Kenji...."
	Kenji stared at his daughter.. no, Sailor Moon... who was 
leaning tiredly against Tuxedo Kamen. 
	She lifted her head up to look at her parents again. "You wanted
to know who gave me the crystal?" She raised the Ginzuishou up as an 
offering to the moon. The moon recognized its mistress and shone on them
directly. The Ginzuishou answered with a glow from within itself. "See
how the moon recognizes it, Mom, Dad? It comes from the heart of her
chosen. My mother and I, we _are_ of the chosen."
	Kenji opened his mouth to ask a question, but he closed it 
again as it fled away. He couldn't think of anything to say. Finally,
he blurted out, "Why? Why were you chosen?"
	"We are direct descendants of her Eldest. The line of the
Eldest has forever guarded her domain against chaos and destruction.
And that being so, we are the appointed guardians," a voice came out
from behind the transformed couple. They all turned as one.
	A silver drop of light kissed the earth and a wash of light
revealed a woman who, they could have sworn, had not been there 
before... A lady with pure white hair done up in a style similar to 
Usagi's. Kenji shook his head. How they had overlooked the strange 
woman's presence was uncanny. She was practically glowing.
	"Mother," the heroine whispered. Ikuko turned blankly towards 
Usagi.. no, not Usagi, Sailor Moon... to say something. However, Sailor
Moon was not looking at her. She was looking at the other woman.
	The lady smiled gently. "Daughter." One simple world. Ikuko's
world crashed. This woman was claiming her daughter. By what grounds
did she have to claim Usagi? Usagi was _her_ daughter, not that
white-haired lady's.
	The glowing being took a step towards the young couple and 
held out her arms. Tuxedo Kamen relinquished his grasp from his 
beloved.
	Sailor Moon couldn't hold her composure any longer. She was so
tired. Her emotions were in a turmoil; it threatened to eat her up.
Her tears spilled and she embraced the woman. 
	Ikuko couldn't believe it. No, this couldn't be her Usagi, she
thought to deny. Usagi was her little girl who ran to _her_ for 
comfort. This... Sailor Moon... she was not Usagi. She couldn't be.
She was of another world. But her heart would not close against the
truth. Her heart called out to this girl. Her vision blurred. She
looked grown up. Her baby was not evident in the heroine's figure.
	As Sailor Moon embraced the woman, she was enveloped by
the same light, her flowing white dress waving against a non-existent
wind.
	"Endymion," the white haired woman nodded to the man in black
armor... Kenji and Ikuko absently wondered how Chiba had changed his
clothes so quickly... And why did he have such a heavy sword? They
felt as if their brains were about to explode.
	"Queen Serenity!" a voice exclaimed as a black cat streaked
past the stunned pair to the white-haired woman.
	Kenji blinked, then automatically reached out to his fainting
wife lest she slump to the ground.
	"Serenity, I think we better take your parents inside."